Friday, October 31, 2008

Defacing the Cardiff Statue has been going on for quite some time. Whosever idea it was to create this thing definitely doesn't surf and has been witness to more than there fair share of abuse from creating this oversized statue. I could care less whether it is there or not. I think its funny how creative some people get and go out of there way to mess with it. With Halloween being one of my favorite Holidays it is only natural for me to share this with you...

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Who would have thought that within less than 48 hours of sipping wine on the southern beaches in france with nothing but a pair of trunks on I would be stepping onto the moisture rich (code for a lot of rain) soil of Alaska. Come to think of it, this was the first surf trip I had done outside of California that I needed more than a spring suit in as long as I could remember. Man that makes me sound spoiled. I'll tell you what though, I have never appreciated surfing in trunks as much as I did the minute I stepped off that plane. Being from Southern California definately has its advantages, that is, until your camera and your next photo assignment fly's you to one of the most northern parts of the world to go surfing. My lack of rain, weather, and all around warm clothing made this trip unique to say the least. As we gathered our belongings and made sure all the boards made I realized that not only was I one of the two people in the entire place not wearing wading boots, my so-called "jacket" was actually a shell. So here I am, no real winter clothes, no rubber boots, tons of rain, and a week ahead of me. This is going to be fun! Luckily Ashley (aka Mom) our host and guide for this next week had planned for this and had us ready to rock and had laid out the red carpet for us. Alaska Brewing Co and Surfing Magazine teamed up along with coastalcode.com to entertain Joe "bud" Curren, Chris "skinny jeans" Del Moro and 4 lucky contestants who entered essays into a competition to win a free trip to surf with the boys and help spread the word on being environmentally conscience. Our days were filled with Zip-lining, wakeboarding, surfing, helicopter landings on glaciers, eating fresh snow, drinking warm coffee, and my personal favorite the Winter Ale (it has hints of spruce in it). Look for our story to come out in an upcoming issue of Surfing Magazine to see all the cool stuff we got to check out and learn a new thing or two about how we can help the enviornment stay cleaner!

After being lost in the woods, split up from the group, freezing in the rain, Chris Del Moro and I waded through knee deep water in our "skinny jeans" to find ourselves standing on the edge of the Dangerous River in Alaska. With the site of Glaciers, Icebergs and the thought that we may never be in this situation again, we said f-it and thought it would be cool to see the icebergs a bit closer up. We both decided it would be a good idea to jump in the 36 degree water and get a closer look! I owe a HUGE thank you to the boys at Matuse for putting me in a new 5/4/3 hooded suit to keep me warm while swimming and shooting. Also, for those of you who have never stood on an iceberg before, BE CAREFUL! They are slippery and I fell on my ass twice..hahaha

Saturday, October 18, 2008

The kind folks at Surfing Magazine posted a web gallery of some of their images from the night of the event and a story about myself and the foundation banquet. If you have a free minute jump on over to this link:

Friday, October 17, 2008

Last night I was honored with taking home the award for the 2008 Follow the Light Foundation. I am still not too sure what to say, it came to a surprise to me and am very thankful and honored to those who I got to share the evening with. Among the group of fellow photographers in the competition were a lot of close friends who made the evening that much more special. I would like to thank the Surfing Heritage Foundation and the Follow the Light Foundation in addition to all of the people who put a lot of time, heart, and soul into this event. I will not let you down!